Just as PETA was scheduled to testify against the Hawthorn Corporation and its
president, John Cuneo, in a federal administrative court, Cuneo admitted guilt
in 19 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Cuneo has been ordered to
relinquish custody of 16 elephants to USDA-approved facilities—including the
elephant Lota, for whom we have long fought—and pay a $200,000 fine.